Underway

I can see by checking Ravelry that a bunch of you have finished Part One of the Shetland Pi Shawl already. I love seeing everyone’s progress and it’s fun to see what yarns you are using. So many pretty pretty pis out there! That reminds me — a thread for this project was started in the WendyKnits group on Ravelry. If you are knitting along, please feel free to post there.

If you have not cast on yet, don’t feel like you will be left behind those of us who started already. The first two parts go pretty quickly, and Part Three will not be released until next Sunday. It won’t take long to catch up! And of course you don’t have to knit along with the majority — you can do this at your own pace whenever you want.

Here is my Part One:

Stay tuned for Part Two on Wednesday!

There have been a few questions about yarn amounts if you are using a different weight yarn than I. I can offer you some approximations, based on my experience with knitting shawls of this size. Remember, however, that these are just approximate numbers because the amount of yarn you use will depend on your gauge and needle size and the differences between knitters.

Laceweight — 1200 – 1300 yards

Fingering weight — 1300 – 1400 yards

Sport/DK weight — 1500 – 1600 yards

Worsted weight — 1600 – 1700 yards

If, when you get towards the end of the shawl (say, halfway through Part Four) and you think that you are going to have a lot of yarn left over, or if you think you are running low, you can adjust by doing more or fewer pattern repeats than the pattern calls for. Part Four is the largest chunk of knitting — over 50 rounds at 576 stitches per round. Part Five consists of an edging pattern of approximately 20 rounds, and that can be very easily adjusted (and was designed to be customized so that you can use more or less yarn as needed). We can talk about that when we get there.

When all the clues have been issued, I’ll put them all together in one pdf and make it available here on my Free Patterns page (Part One of the pattern is already listed there) and because there was a request for it, I’ll make it a Ravelry download as well so those of you who want to keep it in your Ravelry libraries can do so.

Oh, and I fixed the pdf of Part One so that the links I put in the document should now work for you.

I aim to please. 😉

More Pi!

Yesterday I blocked my EZ 100th Anniversary Pi (Gull Wing version), which I knit from Wollmeise Lacegarn in the “Single Malt” colorway. Before blocking it was approximately 46″ across.

After blocking, it grew to 68″ across.

And I used two-thirds of my skein of Wollmeise.

I’ve got over 500 yards remaining in the skein, which means I can use it to knit another small shawl. Since I love this colorway, this makes me very happy indeed.

It took less than 5 hours for the shawl to dry completely. Usually I will leave a shawl pinned out a full 24 hours, just to make sure it is good and dry. But I unpinned this baby yesterday afternoon because it was taking up so much floor space and was difficult to walk around. It was bone dry, anyhow.

And interestingly, Lucy slept through the whole blocking process. (Rest assured that she was awake later and happy to play, though!)

I get questions from time to time about how I keep Lucy from bothering my yarn and knitting. The only time Lucy ever shows any interest in my knitting is when I lay it down on the floor to photograph it or block it, and then she simply lies on it.

Comments

Thanks Wendy, I haven’t started yet, I haven’t found the yarn I want to use yet and I am a huge procrastionator, hopefully this weekend I can find somethign really pretty to reward myself and use. I am nervous about the cast on, I can work circular patterns but I am so not comfortable with them, but I am determined to make this… I’m excited and scared all at the same time
.-= Aunt Kathy´s last blog ..KEURIG giveaway contest- be still my heart =-.

I’m nearly done with Part 1. The most difficult part was casting on. For some reason, the 9 sts had me pulling out my hair, even though I’ve knitted dozens of top-down socks. I changed to a sock weight wool from the silk/Rayon yarn and I think that helped. Will post pic on Rav.

Okay, I’m in a quandary. I’ve knitted two swatches out of two lovely yarns and I can’t decide. If it comes down to yardage, then the mohair wins, because I have more of the mohair than the Kureyon Sock.

Oh!! I love that colour!! Gorgeous!! I quilt a lot as well as knit and if I did not have a kitty in the middle when I lay out to photograph I would worry. They especially love the quilts to burrow through!!

I kept looking for the “love” button!! It is gorgeous and you’re right – I love that colorway too. My yarn just arrived tonight for the KAL. Can’t wait to get started. Thank you SO much for doing this.

This is perfect! I’m on vacation traveling through South Dakota for a week. I brought yarn for socks (one of which I have already finished) and some lace weight for a shawl. I like your pattern much better than the one I brought so I’m sitting here writing out part 1 to do in the car tomorrow! Thanks so much!! Can’t wait to see part 2 on Wednesday!

that shawl is gorgeous! and this is my first kal..i’ve always wanted to knit a pi shawl but didn’t think i could get through the whole thing without giving up. doing it in parts sounds like the perfect way. Thanks!!

Lucy is much better than one of my dear, departed cats – who thought that yarn was for chewing on, as near to the knitting point as possible. I won’t tell you what happened when he ate my then-boyfriend’s (now longtime husband) roommate’s leather shoelace. But that didn’t do him in – he died many years later at age 17.

Oooh, if I’m on the floor my kitties think it’s “playtime with Mommy!” Miss Hinky & TomTom both know they’re not allowed to play with Mommy’s string, but Hinky has to help me knit by laying in my lap with one paw draped over my yarn. I’ll have to block my Pi on the bed!
.-= Ann Devine´s last blog ..Library time =-.

Ah Wendy, the anniversary Pi is just beautiful. I’ve started it (on EZ’s birthday) in a cream colored mulberry silk, but only have a few inches due to 2 other major projects I’m trying finish. I’m trying to do it in Magic Loop and am having some issues with mild laddering and larger holes in the fabric. WIll these tighten up as it grows or do I need to frog this thing and start over?

WOW! The Pi shawl is beatuiful. I’m glad to see that your KAL shawl looks like a little knit bowl right now because mine does too and I thought I was doing something wrong. Thanks so much, Wendy, for this opportunity – I have never done a KAL and really look forward to it.

The EZ 100th Anniversary Pi is gorgeous. Thank you for making the Shetland Pi Shawl pattern available—I can’t join the KAL but I’ll definitely cast on as soon as I clear out my projects with deadlines (unfortunately there are quite a lot of them right now)!

Wendy, I am finished with my part one and I just wanted to be sure to thank you again for doing the Pi as a knit along. I am not huge on self confidence and this KAL is just what i needed to create this beautiful shawl. You are really an inspiration to me. I can’t express to you just how much I value your knowledge and I look forward to tomorrows post of part two!!

2018 Completed Work

All graphics, patterns, text, and content on this site are the sole property of Wendy D. JohnsonCopyright (c) 2002-2018 Wendy D. Johnson
Not to be reproduced in any form without written permission from Wendy D. Johnson